


The Shield of the King

by Gaillen



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cave-In, Chandravarma, Everybody ends up injured but Gladiolus is hurt bad, Gen, Hurt Gladiolus Amicitia, Hurt/Comfort, I didn't like how it turned out, Menance Beneath Fociaugh Hollow quest, On Temporary Hiatus - Last chapter being rewritten, Rhabdomyolysis, Severe Injury, Whump, concussion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:02:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22077412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaillen/pseuds/Gaillen
Summary: Deep within the maze beneath Fociaugh Hollow an encounter with the deadly Chandravarma leaves Gladiolus near death.It'll take all they have to save him.--The roof of the cavern was collapsing around them and Noctis – dazed, stasis weak Noctis – was in danger.Gladiolus did the only thing he could think of to get Noctis to safety and  lunged forward, grabbing Noctis’ arm and swinging him out of harm’s way. Noctis hit the ground outside the area of immediate danger and rolled with the force of the fling.It was desperate and awkward and knocked him off balance.But Gladiolus had known, even before his hand had come into contact with Noctis’ arm, that he would not escape the collapse.All he could do was throw his arms up and over his head as the rocks fell around and on him with a sound like thunder. Darkness claimed his vision and the last thing he heard over the collapse was Noctis’ panicked voice, screaming his name.“GLADIO!”
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 14
Kudos: 79





	1. Chandravarma

They’d been three days in this gods’ forsaken cavern. 

It smelled of damp and earth and mould, and it was positively crawling with daemons, many of which Gladiolus had only heard spoken of in a legendary sense.

Old Mama Ezma had been right. If the seals had broken and these daemons had flooded into the severely weakened Lucis, the results would have been utter devastation. 

It was Ignis who landed the death blow on the Aramusha, flipping his daggers one after the other at the daemon. The severely injured monster had managed to just barely deflect the first of the two daggers but the second buried its blade into that joint between neck and shoulder, just above the thing’s collar bone…if daemons even had bones. 

Gladiolus had no idea what the anatomy of a daemon was but he supposed that they had to have _something_ that served as a skeletal structure. Well, maybe not Flans.

The Aramusha’s katana clattered against the floor as the daemon melted into black ichor. It’s dying screech sounded more like defiance than pain but eventually the cavern was empty except for them. There was a faint dripping sound that echoed around them and their own heavy breathing bounced off the walls loudly.

Prompto dismissed his gun and slouched back against a slimy wall, sliding down it to sit hunched on the ground. “I need a moment,” he said, his voice worryingly breathless.

“You okay, Prompto?” Noctis asked, sitting beside the gunner and ignoring the wet, slimy feel of the cave wall. They were beyond filthy and damp by now so what was the point of worrying any more about his clothes. 

Prompto waved his hand weakly but didn’t respond, gripping his ankles and letting his head hang between his knees. Ignis wavered for a moment before releasing the world-weariest sigh any of them had heard and joined the two younger men on the ground, careful to keep his back from coming into contact with the wall.

“I think we all need a moment to rest,” he said, placing a hand against Prompto’s back and running it up to cup his neck, gently pressing his fingers against the pressure points in Prompto’s neck. Prompto relaxed a little more and let his head drop just a little further. 

He’d been doing very well for the last three days. They all knew of his claustrophobia and, apart from a few token protests, he’d managed with little complaint. But they hadn’t slept in two days and his defences had started breaking down a while ago, becoming increasingly jumpy and more and more quiet with each hour.

Not that any of them were in any better shape. This place was starting to get to them all.

Gladiolus hoped that they were either at the end of the maze with this next room or that the room provided a safe haven for them to all get some sleep. 

He reached up to rub at his eyes. 

The constant battles with insanely strong daemons and the lack of sleep for two days was beginning to bear on even his own stamina and strength.

He didn’t sit down with the others, though he had cast a longing glance at the ground beside Noctis, and instead paced the area just in front of them. Just because they had cleared the Aramusha from this room and nothing yet had come to bother them didn’t mean that he could let down his guard. Especially as the others weren’t in a position where they could quickly regain their feet and launch into battle.

Somewhere distant – most likely from the tunnel they were to take to continue down – there was a sort of tramping sound like heavy footfalls. No doubt it was their next challenge. Gladiolus sighed. 

It sounded like an Iron Giant.

“Gladio.” Ignis’ voice pulled Gladiolus away from his glare in the direction of the next tunnel and he turned. Ignis was holding out a bar of hand soap and a half-empty bottle of water towards him. 

“We could use a little sustenance I think,” he said by way of explanation. Noctis was already chewing at an apple, a small pack containing strips of dried meat open in his lap and a bottle of water by his knee. Prompto wasn’t looking as peaky now that he was sipping at his bottle of water. 

Gladiolus smirked. Of course, Ignis would have prepared for almost all situations. 

He received his own portion of the victuals after his hands were deemed clean enough and paced as he chewed at the apple. The food added some back to the strength he had lost over the last five or six hours but it wouldn’t reenergize them at this point. 

They needed sleep. 

They ate in silence for several minutes, regaining strength and resting for the next challenge. Gladiolus finished his apple off and flicked the core into the darkness, listening to it striking the ground with a damp sounding thump. 

“How many more rooms to do you think there are?” Prompto’s voice seemed almost swallowed up by the cavern. He shook his head at the apple Ignis offered him and let his head drop between his knees again, breathing purposefully. 

Ignis sighed. “It’s hard to say. None of these caverns were mapped before they were sealed. It could be one more room or it could be a dozen. We’re flying blind as it were.” 

“Maybe we should consider setting up a temporary camp in here,” Gladiolus said. “Even if it isn’t a safe room. We need sleep and if we set a watch between the four of us, we can all get some sleep.” 

Ignis hummed, inclining his head slightly. “Let us see what the next cavern holds first.”

Gladiolus sighed, recapping the nearly empty bottle of water and slipping it – and the remainder of the meat strips – into a pocket. “Well,” he said, “we won’t find out anything by sitting around here. Let’s get this over with.” 

Gladiolus led the way down the tunnel, keeping one hand pressed against the wall. Partly to keep from being lost if the path spilt and partly because the footing was treacherous. A few metres into the tunnel, he came to an abrupt stop and raised a fist up over his shoulder. He heard the others stop behind him, falling still, but he wasn't paying attention to them, focusing instead on what he could hear – or rather _not_ hear – around them.

The heavy footfalls that they had been able to hear in the last room were gone and had left behind a strange and eerie sort of silence. 

They looked at each other warily but there wasn't anything they could do about it, they had to continue down the tunnel. 

Gladiolus snorted quietly and after a brief moment made the hand sign for them to continue.

A few feet further down, just beyond the light of their torches, the tunnel took a sharp right turn and ended suddenly at the haphazard masonry that formed both marker and barrier to the next cavern. The warning sigils glowed with phosphorescent light beneath the heavy grime and a few bold black lichens that managed to grow by feeding off the teeny light. The room beyond the soft glow was black as pitch and the light of their torches did not penetrate far into the darkness.

Gladiolus glanced at Noctis questioningly but Noctis shook his head. 

It wasn't a safe room then. 

It was a pity though that Noctis wasn't fluent in the old Lucian hieroglyphics and that these were as damaged as they were. It would have given them a head's up as to what type of daemon was corralled inside the cavern. 

There was no sound or movement beyond the barrier. Whatever was in there was waiting for them to make the first move but they didn't dare enter the cavern until they had at least an idea of what they might be up against. 

Ignis moved beside him, sliding his glasses up to rub at his watering eyes before he froze, staring at something within the darkness. Gladiolus snapped his attention back to the cavern. 

There was a tiny pinprick of _something_ in the darkness. For a moment he wasn't even sure it was there but then, all of a sudden, it ballooned out and took on a hideously bruised colour. 

He didn't realise what it was until he felt the foreign tugging on his body, just behind his navel. 

A gravity spell.

Gladiolus cursed and Prompto yelped as they were yanked off their feet by the spell and dragged into the cavern. They scrambled at the floor to stop themselves for a few feet before Prompto managed to spin around onto his back and fire a Starshell at the space just above the sickly purple-red magic. 

The light of the Starshell forced the daemon to break the magic spell and caused it to roar with pain as it lit the entire cavern. 

“Oh my god,” Prompto gasped as they got a look at the daemon for the first time. “What is that thing?” 

Gladiolus hissed. 

It was a gods’ damned Chandravarma, a bigger and meaner tempered cousin of the Iron Giant, and a daemon Gladiolus only half-believed the existence of. The daemon bestiary that he had been forced to study had only mentioned it, plus the text had been so old. 

The daemon reared back and swung it's fiery sword at them in a sweep. 

“Get down!” Ignis yelled, practically leaping on top of Noctis. The sword passed over the top of them and all of them could feel their backs burn, their clothing smouldering as the limited fire protection woven within the thread tried to assuage the worst of the damage.

Noctis was up the instant the sword had passed over him and he launched the Engine Blade at the daemon as hard as he could.

Unfortunately, Noctis’ warp strike did little more than scratch the daemon’s armoured hide and Prompto’s bullets were simply ricocheting off its ankle, but he wasn’t stopping his assault, single-mindedly attempting to cause damage in that one area and bring the eldritch horror down to its knee. Gladiolus joined him but his sword was doing only a little more damage than Noctis’ had done. 

“Look out!” Gladiolus jerked his head up at the cry and only just had time to tackle Prompto out of the way as the Chandravarma reared back and slammed its fist into the ground nearby. The ground cracked and pieces flew up around the daemon’s arm, blue magic skittering across the ground and knocking Ignis and Noctis off their feet.

Dust and pebbles fell from the ceiling like pattering rain as they scrambled back to their feet. The ground was uneven now, broken stone jutting up from the site of impact and a couple of the stalactites had fallen, shattering across the floor. 

“Try to keep it from doing that!” Ignis called, pole vaulting away from the daemon's swing on his lance. “The structure of the cavern is too unstable to withstand another hit!”

“Oh shit! Noct!” Prompto yelled. 

Noctis hadn't pushed himself up to his feet fast enough and the Chandravarma had shot down with a beefy hand to pluck Noctis up. Noctis cried out as the daemon began to squeeze him and the fell creature probably would have crushed him if Gladiolus hadn't gone at its legs with his greatsword, pirouetting like a windmill. 

The daemon flung Noctis as it fell to its knees and Noctis barely managed to warp away before making a very painful acquaintance with the wall. 

He landed on his feet near Prompto, who fired another Starshell towards the downed daemon – the last having just lost it's light and plunging the cavern back into near darkness, the daemon's sword only lighting the area immediately around it – and crushed a potion in his hand. 

It didn't fully heal his bruised ribs but it would hold until the battle ended and he could take a more powerful potion. 

“Oh, it's on now,” Noctis practically sneered and dismissed his Engine Blade, the Armiger suddenly bursting to life around him. He commanded the ethereal blades forward and all of the ten blades he had claimed so far flew at the vulnerable daemon, striking it as Noctis vanished and appeared faster than lightning to strike additional blows with each glaive. 

He landed as the magic ended, out of breath and sweating, feeling too stretched out and thin which he knew was just because of the Royal Arms and the price of their use. The quickening of his heart beat and the tightness in his chest was more of the same.

He was running out of magical stamina. 

Two days of no rest made it easier for him to hit stasis and he was dismally close to it already. He had maybe three warps left before he was in stasis or one really powerful attack spell.

“We've got it on its last legs!” Ignis called and they really did, the horror's armour was dented in multiple spots, the armour of its left leg completely ripped off and dripping black ichor. It was having trouble standing on that leg but pain seemed hardly to deter it as it raised its hand, sickly purple bubbling from its palm again.

“Not again!” Prompto cried, latching onto a stalagmite at the edge of the cavern to keep from being sucked into the spell again. Gladiolus dug his sword into the ground and Noctis warped to safety but Ignis wasn't so lucky, knocked off his feet before he could react and bashed into the spell. He collapsed to the ground but the spell kept jerking him around until Noctis warped into the Chandravarma, breaking its concentration. 

“I got you, Igster!” Prompto called, darting over and assisting a dazed, bleeding Ignis to his feet and dragging him away from danger. 

Noctis and Gladiolus squared up to the daemon both attacking simultaneously, Gladiolus at his legs and Noctis warp-striking at its chest. Noctis stumbled when his feet touched the ground again, stasis hitting him hard like it always did, and placed a hand to his forehead.

That should have done it but of course the eldritch being simply couldn't die without giving one final attack. 

It reared back and slammed its entire weight into the ground again before melting away. 

The blow was enough and the cavern began quaking around them, stalactites shattering on impact as they fell from the ceiling. Prompto was yelling and even Ignis was calling out to them. 

The roof of the cavern was collapsing around them and Noctis – dazed, stasis weak Noctis – was in danger.

Gladiolus did the only thing he could think of to get Noctis to safety and lunged forward, grabbing Noctis’ arm and swinging him out of harm’s way. Noctis hit the ground outside the area of immediate danger and rolled with the force of the fling. 

It was desperate and awkward and knocked him off balance.

But Gladiolus had known, even before his hand had come into contact with Noctis’ arm, that he would not escape the collapse. 

All he could do was throw his arms up and over his head as the rocks fell around and on him with a sound like thunder. Darkness claimed his vision and the last thing he heard over the collapse was Noctis’ panicked voice, screaming his name.

“GLADIO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I am evil. Thank you for noticing.
> 
> Hey guys! It's been a while but writing is hard. You know how it is. I teased about this story in my last fic which was back in Apr. I'm terrible I know. Sorry but here it is finally. Also, no I have not abandoned the Status Ailments series. Writing is just hard.
> 
> Oh, yes. By the by, I wrote this story intentionally with OT4 in mind but I am not a romantic person, I'm bad at writing romance and romantic relationships is just not my cup of tea. So you can consider this to be just Gen if you prefer it. It is only Ignis calling Gladiolus 'love' at one point and a single chaste kiss near the end that really gives away the OT4 intent. 
> 
> It's about Gladiolus being hurt guys. Not about who's banging who. Sorry.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy it regardless.


	2. Phoenix Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Chocobee and all those that kudos' this fic. You guys made me so very happy while I was feeling down. Thank you!

Ignis awoke to pain and darkness. 

He was on his back but half twisted and his arm over his waist. With a groan of pain, he turned over onto his stomach and started coughing as dust and rocks clattered off of him. 

He took a mental inventory of all his aches and pains as he knelt there, his head pressed against the back of one hand. He was bruised all over from being pelted by small stones and had a multitude of small scrapes but his head was pounding and an experimental probe at the worst spot caused his hand to come away tacky. There wasn't any broken bones at least and it didn't feel like he had any internal damage so he guessed he was mostly alright.

If only he could see. 

There was a soft grey-green glow he caught out of the corner of his left eye and a glance in that direction showed a section of the cavern wall had collapsed and there were veins of phosphorescent material embedded in the rock. 

Material that was starting to lose its glow and soon it would leave them in absolute black, not that the glow was illuminating anything besides that rock wall. 

All well, it would serve as a direction marker if nothing else. 

He had no idea what happened to his torch, a quick feel having revealed that it was no longer clipped to his jacket, but he had to find some sort of light source before the dim light was completely gone. 

There was a vague sense of alarm in the back of his head trying to warn him about _something_ but each time he tried to reach for the memory it skittered away like a water bug on a pond. No doubt a result of the mild concussion he was certain he had. 

As he scrabbled in the rocks and dust, his hand came into contact with someone's arm. He fingers felt over the thick leather band and smaller metal one, as well as the two small hemp bracelets, that encircled the wrist and he knew immediately who it was. 

“Pro--” Ignis began coughing again as he tried to say the name but it died after a moment and he shook Prompto's shoulder gently. “Prompto?” 

A groan was his answer and Prompto shifted under his hands of his own accord before he began coughing was well. When Prompto's coughs finally stopped he wrapped his hands around Ignis' wrists, fingers feeling over Ignis' gloves.

“Igs?” he croaked hesitantly. 

“Yes, it's me.”

“Ow,” Prompto complained, dropping Ignis' hands and relaxing back against the ground. “Did anyone get the number of the bus that hit us?” 

“Are you alright?”

“Uhh...” Prompto said and Ignis waited while he took a mental stock of his hurts. “Yes...? I think so. I ache all over and my arm is pretty cut up but it's not too bad. My legs are trapped though. Hold on a second.” 

Blessed light suddenly flared up from the torch on Prompto's vest and Ignis reeled back in pain as the light nearly blinded him but he wasn't going to complain. It was wonderful that at least one of them kept their torch. 

“Sorry,” Prompto winced and set up, looking down at his legs. His legs were stuck in a little opening caused by a longer rock propped up by a smaller rock, applying pressure to keep him pinned but not to hurt him. 

“Well, that was lucky,” he said. Ignis made a sound in agreement and crawled over to the rocks, bracing his hands in the tiny gap between it and Prompto's knees. 

“Can you push up while I lift it?” he asked. Prompto nodded and they pushed the rock until it slammed down on Prompto's other side.

Now free, Prompto stood and reached down to help Ignis up. Ignis wobbled, putting both hands out in an attempt to keep his balance, dizziness and nausea suddenly striking him as he stood.

“Whoa there,” Prompto said, catching him before he fell. “Are _you_ alright?”

“I...think I might have a mild concussion,” Ignis said, bringing his hand up to the wound on his temple. Prompto winced at the sight of the drying blood and the heavy bruising around the injury and the shaking in Ignis' hands. 

“Yeah, probably from the daemon's gravity spell. It was bashing you around pretty bad.” 

“Not the rock fall?”

“No, I remember that from before the collapse. Here, just rest a moment,” Prompto said and gently lowered Ignis to sit on one of the boulders before handing him a potion and cracking one open on himself.

The sight of the potion caused a memory to flutter into and then right back out of Ignis' mind before he could grasp it. Perhaps the potion will help clear his foggy brain.

“Now, where are the others?” Prompto asked, turning away and tilting his torch to skim over the rubble all across the cavern floor. 

Ignis gasped as the potion's magic washed over him, healing most but not all of the concussion, and he stood suddenly, memory striking him full force. 

He distinctly remembered – just before losing consciousness – of hearing Noctis' panicked scream for Gladiolus. 

“Noct! Gladio!” he shouted into the cavern. His voice echoed and some rocks shifted at the disturbance.

And then, blessedly, he received an answer.

“Ig...Ignis!” 

Noctis.

His hoarse voice had come from the far side of the cavern, on the other side of the huge mound of rubble and nearest the entrance to the tunnel leading back up. 

Ignis breathed a sigh of relief and then realized acutely that while Noctis had responded to his call, Gladiolus had not. 

He and Prompto picked their way carefully around the rubble pile but were surprised to not see Noctis immediately upon doing so. 

“Noct?” Ignis called, “where are you?”

“In here.” They both turned towards a towering pillar of stone leaning up against the cavern wall and held up by virtue of the groove it had carved into that wall. It was right at the edge of the rubble pile and rocks were very nearly covering it. 

Some of the rocks were large and would definitely need some strategy to remove them. There were a number of gaps in the ones along the edge though and teeny light was spilling through them as Noctis' smudged and filthy face appeared in one of the larger gaps. 

“Are you alright?” Ignis looked aghast, his eyes roving over the stones. 

“Yeah,” Noctis said. “The big stone fell first and protected me from any of the other stones. I just can't get out without some help.” 

“You're lucky it didn't crush you when it fell, dude,” Prompto said, awed. 

“Yes, yes. Very lucky,” Noctis said, hastily, “but what about Gladio? Is he okay? He was in the worst of the rock fall.” 

“We haven't found him yet,” Ignis said as he and Prompto began shifting rocks away from the slab.

He didn't mention that Gladiolus hadn't responded to a single call yet. 

He was probably just unconscious. 

There was no reason to panic. 

Noctis said nothing but helped push the rocks from his side of his little alcove. 

He was worried about Gladiolus. 

He didn't see what exactly had happened to the Shield after Gladiolus had flung him out of the collapse because the pillar had fallen nearly as soon as he had landed – a second earlier and Noctis probably would have been crushed by it – but he had called and received no answer from any of them. 

He'd been trapped in a painful half-crouch for the last fifteen or so minutes, listening to the cavern eventually settle after the roar of the falling rocks had died out. All his cries to the others had been met with silence and he had fallen into a state of panic, scrabbling at the rocks until his nails broke and his fingers bled. 

Hearing Ignis shout for him had probably been the best sound in the world. 

Prompto shifted one of the larger rocks by using one of Ignis' pole-arms as a lever and it caused the whole pile to tumble downwards – Prompto was only saved from a pummelling by Ignis' quick reflexes – and leaving a gaping hole at the top of the pile. 

Noctis began scrambling through it and slid down the rock pile, tumbling to the cavern floor at their feet with a small “ow” but immediately rising before Ignis could reach down to him. He wrapped an arm around his chest for just a brief moment with a faint 'ooh' but it was over as quick as it had occurred and he was turning away.

“We need to find Gladio,” he said, turning his torch this way and that to scan the cavern. Ignis opened his mouth to say something but Noctis had frozen, focusing on something lit by his torch before abruptly running towards it. 

“Gladio!” Noctis cried. 

Ignis sucked in a sharp breath and Prompto gasped as Noctis' light fell on Gladiolus' body. 

Gladiolus was mostly buried and partially upside down. Only his head, one shoulder and his arm was uncovered and there was blood dripping from the ends of his fingers. Not a lot but enough to be worrying. 

It was impossible to tell if he was breathing or not. 

Noctis immediately began picking up stones and hurling them away until Ignis grabbed him and pulled him away.

“Wait! Stop,” he said breathlessly. Even Prompto froze beside him, tears in his eyes and hands outstretched to lift a stone away himself. “If we aren't careful we can cause more damage to him or even kill him outright.” 

That stopped any protest that was on Noctis' lips and Noctis curled his shaking hands into Ignis' ripped jacket. “What do we do?” 

Ignis didn't respond, gently extracting himself from Noctis' hold and crawling over to Gladiolus as carefully as he could. 

He felt gently along Gladiolus' neck, relieved to find that his neck wasn't broken and that he was breathing. His breaths were shallow and the heartbeat Ignis immediately felt for was weak and faltering but it was there and Ignis couldn't be more thankful. 

“Gladio,” he called gently, coaxingly. “Gladio, love, wake up. Come on, Gladio.” He felt Noctis and Prompto come up behind him, the two of them clinging to each other and holding each other up but he didn't pay them more than a glance. “Gladio, you must wake up.”

Nothing.

“Your King needs you, Amicitia.” 

_That_ finally garnered a response. 

Gladiolus' fingers twitched and his eyelids fluttered, the rhythm of his breathing changing. He didn't open his eyes but he was at least aware. 

“That's it,” Ignis cooed. “Noctis, I need an antidote,” he said over his shoulder. One was immediately thrust towards him and Ignis took it from his shaking hand. 

“Gladio, you must drink this. You must try. Please, love.” He ripped off the seal and placed the bottle at Gladiolus' partially open lips, tilting his head up to make it easier and wincing at the resulting whine. 

Some spilled but most still went into Gladiolus' mouth and he swallowed instinctively. As soon as the bottle was emptied, Ignis had demanded another and this one he shattered over Gladiolus' head, the faint green light absorbing into his skin. 

No one said or did anything for a few precious moments before Ignis released a breath and shed his jacket, bundling up the ruined cloth and bracing it under Gladiolus' neck. 

Then he stood and turned to Noctis and Prompto.

“We must be very careful how we remove the stones,” he said and reached over, picking one up. “Make sure the ones you move will not cause any to fall, okay?” 

Prompto and Noctis glanced at each other but then nodded, silently. 

It took the better part of a half-hour to remove stones and toss them away before only Gladiolus' left leg was still trapped beneath the rubble. It was a large rock and if they weren't careful in how they removed it, it could fall back onto Gladiolus' leg. 

While the other two were working on figuring out the best way to remove the stone, Ignis checked over the rest of Gladiolus' injuries and...it was not good. 

Apart from the sheer number of lacerations littering his body, part of his chest was caved in. The eagle on his left breast was warped and there was heavy bruising discolouring his skin. Ignis could already tell that the leg trapped under the stone slab was shattered and there was a definite possibility of internal bleeding. The arm that had been trapped was at least fractured, if not broken, and that collar bone was snapped. 

Luckily his spine wasn't damaged beyond a mild sprain but Ignis still felt his heart sink. 

They would need Phoenix Downs and Hi-Elixirs for this but there was a chance that Gladiolus' injuries would be too much for the most powerful of their curatives to even touch. 

(It had happened before in Ignis' memory but he tried not to dwell on the recollection of a small, comatose eight year old boy with dark hair and pale skin who might have never walked again.) 

Injuries like this could and will end Gladiolus' career as King's Shield if they didn't end up killing him and Ignis wasn't sure what Gladiolus would do if that happened. 

He didn't say any of this out loud, giving Noctis a small reassuring smile when the Prince looked over at him for the eighth time. Noctis was already on the verge of a breakdown and Ignis wasn't about to send him toppling over the edge. 

Noctis and Prompto eventually managed to rig a sort of leverage system to remove the stone slab from Gladiolus' leg. They couldn't move it far but it was enough that they could use other stones to prop it up and away from Gladiolus' leg. 

As soon as it was steady, Ignis was there feeling along the injury. It was as bad as he had expected and would leave Gladiolus lame for life if their curatives were unable to touch it. 

He would have to make the test. 

It had already been too long as it was and he could no longer delay the trial. 

Ignis pulled out the first Phoenix Down and silently breathed an apology for the pain this was about to cause before he crushed the feather to Gladiolus' chest. 

The reaction was instantaneous. 

Gladiolus practically screamed as the curative took hold, bones and tissue working to knit back together, and as horrible as the sound was, Ignis was glad to hear it because it meant that it was working. At least in part.

Noctis made a sound like he was dying and he dropped to his knees, Prompto's arms around him for both of their comfort as he sobbed into the back of Noctis' neck.

Before the Phoenix Down's fire had even begun to fade, Ignis was already crushing another into Gladiolus' chest and watching with relief as his chest popped back into place and his leg straightened and lengthened back to its original condition. 

This time he let the fire die out, breaking a Hi-Elixir before pressing his fingers to Gladiolus' throat. The heartbeat there was rapid and irregular, no doubt from the pain and the stimulant. It would still take time for Gladiolus to fully recover and there was still the chance that the injuries weren't healed enough to keep him from being maimed. 

They'd know once Gladiolus was awake and coherent but they had to get out of these caves first. There might not be any daemons right now but the longer the door stayed open the greater a chance for daemons to start making their way down into the maze. 

Ignis ran a hand through Gladiolus' sweaty, dishevelled hair and winced, it was too soon to be moving him but they had no recourse.

“Noct, Prompto.” The two looked at Ignis, their faces making him wince again, but he didn't have time to comfort them. “We need to make a litter so we can safety carry Gladio out.”

“Is he...?” Prompto started and stopped abruptly. Noctis was as still as a marble statue.

“He's...alive,” Ignis said, “but we must get him out of here and some where safe.” 

Prompto nodded and stood, swiping his hand across his eyes as he did so. 

Ignis looked at Noctis. 

Noctis' face was pale and blotchy from unshed tears, his lips white, and he was still shaking. The plethora of emotions swirling in his midnight blue eyes were flitting by too fast for Ignis to know what they were and before he could really begin to decipher them, Noctis lowered his eyes and nodded then climbed to his feet to help build the litter. 

They made the litter by ripping the tent's ground sheet and tying it to some of Ignis' pole-arms. It was crude but it would last until they reached the haven below Fociaugh's entrance. 

Getting Gladiolus on the litter was more difficult. 

Ignis feared moving him but he once again reminded himself that they had no choice and that they had to get out of the caverns as soon as possible. Eventually he and Noctis gently rolled Gladiolus onto his side while Prompto slid the litter underneath him and lowered him back onto it. 

Noctis summoned two of their blankets from the aether and draped them over Gladiolus, tucking them around him to ward off shock and tying him down to the litter so that he wouldn't be jostled off. 

With that, and with Prompto darting ahead as advanced guard, Ignis and Noctis each grabbed one of the pole-arms and began to drag the litter up the tunnel and back to sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! Yay!
> 
> Okay so looking at my notes it'll be about 8 or so chapters. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Anyways, next chapter is on next Tuesday. Please enjoy!
> 
> Oh yes, my theory on Phoenix Down. Canonically, Phoenix Down do not revive an individual if they die but supposedly give energy to someone knocked unconscious. Kind of similar to what smelling salts actually does in real life. Therefore, my headcanon that Phoenix Down are a very, very strong healing item capable of repairing severe damage as in this chapter. But it is a very painful process and Phoenix Down therefore are not really used if one can help it. 
> 
> I'm not sure if that made any sense but there you go. ^_^


	3. Killiam Haven

There weren't any daemons as they made their way through the tunnels and caverns and up to the ancient Solheimian door. 

There were, however, daemons – Imps – in the main caverns. Not many, not a lot. Only four but they had protected Gladiolus' litter with a fierceness that would have suited a horde of fifty.

The way was torturous. It was a blessing that Gladiolus did not wake as they made their way through the tunnels of Fociaugh. Each bump and each time they were forced to twist and turn the litter to navigate some stone or narrow space would no doubt have caused him pure agony. 

It was sunset, or rather close to it, when they finally cleared the Hollow and were back in the forests of the Malacchi Hills. 

Noctis and Ignis had to stop. 

They slowly lowered the litter to the ground, breathing heavily. Noctis wrapped an arm around his chest, wincing from the sharp pain there. He'd forgotten, in the desperation of Gladiolus' injury and getting him to safety, all about his tender bruised ribs and had only been reminded of them once they had reached the narrower parts of Fociaugh Hollow. 

Ignis apparently wasn't as well as he had seemed to have been either. As soon as he had released his grip of the litter, he had stumbled over to the side of the path and had vomited into the bushes. 

“Iggy,” Noctis said with eyes wide, stepping towards him and lifting a shaky hand. Prompto beat him to it, petting Ignis' hair and bracing his shoulder. 

“Shh...it's okay,” Prompto cooed to them both. “I guess the potion didn't fully help the concussion did it?” 

“No...” Ignis gasped out before he yawned again, though there was little left in his stomach to expel. 

“Do you think another potion will help?”

“Give me a moment.” Prompto waited, potion in hand as Ignis breathed through a disconcerting belch. Eventually, he held out his hand for the potion and another minute later he was slowly straightening back up. 

He'd have a lingering headache for a day or two and he still couldn't remember much more than flashes from the battle against the Chandravarma but the concussion was all but completely healed. Nourishment and a good night's sleep would take care of the rest.

“Better? Hope that took care of it. One more potion and you're at risk of overdosing,” Prompto said.

Ignis nodded, slowly. “We still need to get to the haven. You and I need rest, Noctis needs his ribs seen too,” Prompto looked slightly surprised and turned to look at Noctis, who sub-consciously lowered his arm from around his chest, “and Gladio needs...needs care.” 

Prompto bit his lip and looked over at Noctis, kneeling by the litter and anxiously tucking in the already tucked blankets. His hand briefly brushed over Gladiolus' brow and his touch faltered, pressing his whole palm flat. 

“He's getting warm,” Noctis said, once again wrapping one arm across his chest. 

Ignis sighed. He looked like he wanted to say something for a moment but he paused and looked down the path to the blue runes of the haven shining faintly through the trees. He really wished his glasses hadn't been broken back in the cave, if for no other reason than to have something to fiddle with.

“Let's get to the haven. Prompto take the other side. I don't want Noctis to aggravate his ribs any more until I can get a look at them.” Noctis protested but Prompto grabbed the other side of the litter anyway and they made their way down the hill to the haven. 

It was a longer walk than they thought, though that was probably because they hadn't really noticed how long the path between the haven and the Hollow was. Or, rather, because they could no longer run the length of it with their usual alacrity.

This close to sunset meant that there were very few beasts about, many of them already retreating to their dens before night fell and the daemons started spawning, and they reached the haven without running into trouble. The nightjars were waking, their eerie vibrating calls echoing around the forest, and nocturnal insects had already started – admittedly, in stuttering starts and stops – to serenade them. 

They left Gladiolus next to the fire pit, he had started to shiver from chills despite the blankets tucked tightly about him and the sweat beading on his brow, and began the rapid process of setting up camp while there was still daylight. 

Ignis saw to Noctis' ribs as Prompto clattered around the cooker. They were bruised, as both had supposed, but not needing more than than another potion to finish the healing the first potion had started in the caverns. He'd still be tender for a few days yet but otherwise he was perfectly healthy. 

“Iggy,” Noctis hesitated as the potion's magic washed over him, “is Gladio going to be okay?”

Ignis sighed, aware that Prompto had stopped moving in order to listen. “I don't know,” he admitted and glanced at Gladiolus still on his litter. “I won't lie to you. His injuries are bad, fatal even without treatment...maybe even with treatment. The Phoenix Downs repaired most of the damage but we won't know for a while yet.”

He looked back at the two stricken young men and gently cupped Noctis' cheek in one hand. “I'm not a doctor and my medical training, while extensive, may not be enough. I will do what I can... _we_ will do what we can, but the vast majority of Gladio's healing will have to come from you and your magic. It's the best chance he has.” 

Noctis slumped forward and leaned his head against Ignis' chest. He was shaking again.

“What can we do?” Prompto asked, almost as if he was afraid of the answer. “And how bad is it going to be?”

“First off, we must get him as comfortable as possible,” Ignis said, his voice getting steadier as he spoke. He could plan and planning made things – not easy but _easier_. “We had no choice but normally I would not move him, he needs as much stability as possible. We'll be staying here until he's better.”

Noctis lifted his head and nodded. “We'll still need to get him in the tent but that's it.” 

Ignis nodded.

“Secondly, he needs to drink as much as possible. Injuries like his and the amount of time he spent buried can cause complications...toxins to build up in his body. That's why I gave him the antidotes and I pray they will work but he still needs to drink. Water as well as hi-potions.”

“Okay,” Prompto breathed, relieved that it didn't seem as bad as he thought. Ignis felt it better to disillusion him now before it did get worst.

“It won't be pretty,” he warned them. “Gladio's fever and his blood loss are not easily combated by our curatives. He could still very well die.”

Prompto choked and looked away. 

“It'll take time and even if he heals, he may not heal fully.”

Noctis jolted at that. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean...that Gladio could very well be forced to step down as your Shield,” Ignis said succinctly. He kept his hold of Noctis' wrist, pressing his fingers into the pulse point, even as Noctis made a move to jerk away. Prompto sat down hard.

“No,” Noctis said, sharply. “No, he'll get better. And he won't be...he'll move again on his own.” 

Ignis closed his eyes on Noctis' determined expression and Prompto's vigorous nod. 

“I hope so,” he whispered. “I really hope so.”

0-o-0-o-0

Ignis blinked, wearily, packing the last of their sorely depleted medical supplies away. He was careful to not make any unnecessary noise more for Prompto, fast asleep on the other side of the tent, then for Gladiolus, who would be unconscious for a long while yet. 

Ignis reached over and gently ghosted the tips of his fingers over the edge of the older man’s jaw, barely brushing the stubble there, as if he was afraid that any touch would cause more pain. He felt that he wasn't doing enough. 

He was trained, medically speaking, but his training had been only a little more comprehensive than a first responder's would have been. He could do damage control until a real professional could arrive and that was all. 

Gladiolus' injuries were beyond his training. He had not lied when he admitted that Noctis' magic was Gladiolus' best chance, perhaps even only chance. They were in a wilderness. The closest form of human habitation to them was Wiz's Chocobo Post but it was unlikely that any medical professional other than a veterinarian would be there.

Still, if needs be, he would go to the Post and request help.

Ignis' fingers hesitated at the edge of the large bruise extending from the corner of Gladiolus' left eye to his jaw and up the side of his nose. It made the tissue of his scars stand out pale on his face and contrasted starkly with the white of the flannel on his head. 

A soft shuffling sound made Ignis draw back and he looked at Prompto, twisting restlessly in his blankets as his sleep was disturbed by his dreams. It was a bad one, apparently, for Prompto jerked once and opened his eyes, momentary panicked.

“Iggy?” he asked and sat up, his eyes immediately skimming over Ignis to look at Gladiolus before focusing back on Ignis. “How is he?” 

“There hasn't been any change,” Ignis admitted. “I've splinted his leg and bound his arm to keep both his collar bone and his arm as still as possible. He doesn't appear to be bleeding, internally or externally.” Ignis looked at him then and took in the reddened eyes and pale skin. “You should try to get some more sleep, Prompto.”

“Look who's talking. I've slept for an hour or two. You get some rest, Ignis, I'll keep an eye on the big guy. Where's Noct?”

“Outside.” Ignis looked at the tent entrance and frowned. Noctis had slipped out a little after he had assisted Ignis in binding Gladiolus' arm and had not yet returned. “I wish to check on him. Call me if you need me.” 

Prompto nodded. Ignis re-wetted the flannel on Gladiolus' brow and covered him with a thin blanket before crawling from the tent and into the night air.

The fire had burned down to embers and the blue light of the haven painted a soft radiance over everything, providing just enough light to see. His eyes immediately scanned over the haven and found Noctis sitting at the edge, his legs dangling, as he watched an Iron Giant patrol its territory further down the hill.

Ignis watched him for a moment, watched the way the blue light lent an ethereal glow to his ebony hair, before turning to the kettle on his camping stove and checking to see if there was still some hot water left in it. There was and he pulled out two tinned mugs. 

Noctis started in surprise when the mug appeared before him and he looked up at Ignis, his face tired but kind. He hesitated a moment before wrapping both hands around the tin and breathing in the aromatic stream of the herbal tea. Ignis set beside him with his own mug, letting his legs dangle from the side of the haven as well, as he contemplated the Iron Giant Noctis had been watching. 

After a few minutes of silence, Noctis cast a look at the older man through his fringe. He had been sure that Ignis would question and wheedle in his gentle way until Noctis told him everything but, surprisingly, he remained silent. He was just a warm, comforting presence at Noctis’ side. 

Not asking, merely supporting.

The Iron Giant found the den of a Voretooth pack and its roar echoed around the Malacchi Hills. 

The pack had young. 

Noctis closed his eyes in pity.

It took a long while before Noctis was finally able to speak, falling sideways to lean against Ignis' shoulder. He sagged like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Right here and now, with only Ignis and the cool light of the haven, he allowed himself a small moment of emotional fragility. “He could have died.” 

Ignis hummed, resting a hand on Noctis' thigh. “But he didn’t. Whatever else may occur...” Noctis tensed against him, “Gladio is alive.”

Noctis turned his face further into Ignis’ shoulder and didn’t speak again for another moment. “I was scared,” he admitted. “Everything moved so fast and then he disappeared beneath the rocks. And I thought he was dead and it was my fault.” 

Ignis sighed and put his empty mug to the side so he could gently pet at Noctis’ hair, wrapping his other arm around the Prince’s shoulders. He was trembling.

“He is your Shield, Noct. His purpose is to keep you safe, his duty. It is something that he considers an honour and takes immense pride in. But more than that, he loves you. You are his friend, his brother, his King, his life. I would have done the same.”

“You three are all I have left,” Noctis whispered against his throat, barely audible over the Iron Giant's triumphant roar. “I can't stand to lose any of you.” 

“Oh, Noct,” Ignis breathed just as quietly and held him even tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's another chapter. Thank you very much to everyone who kudos and commented. I greatly appreciate it.
> 
> Next chapter should be up next Tuesday but, unfortunately, my job has become busy and we are short handed currently so many of us are having to work astronomical hours to make up the deficit. It may be a day late but I will do my best.


	4. Healing

Gladiolus didn't so much as stir once during the night. 

He was so...still. 

It wasn't right that he should be so still. 

Gladiolus was the type of person that always seemed to embody a sense of ...contained energy; almost as if he was perpetually in motion, even while he seemed adsorbed completely in a novel. He was a light sleeper by nature, hyper-vigilant and over protective; always on guard. This was partly because of his extensive training to become King's Shield, of course, but mostly it was because of how he simply _was_. 

To see him like this now felt wrong.

Noctis reached over and felt the flannel draped across Gladiolus' brow. It needed to be changed again. His fever had climbed during the night but seemed to have finally reached a plateau some hours ago. 

There was movement at the tent's entrance and Prompto slipped in.

“Any change?” he asked. Noctis shook his head and got a sigh in reply. He looked at Prompto just as he was running a hand through his hair and mussing the limp blond strands. His skin was of a pasty pallor and the bruises under his eyes were dark and heavy. 

He looked tired, as tired as Noctis still felt. 

None of them had really managed much sleep last night, despite the exhaustion of the last two days, but Noctis hadn't really tried. He'd spent most of the night pulling on all the magical reserves he possessed and on the elemental deposits surrounding the haven in order to create the most powerful healing magicks he had ever fashioned.

The exercise had weakened him desperately. He had not yet recovered from their three days in the Fociaugh Hollow. He had hit stasis – while making curatives! – and he had passed out, coming awake hours later much to his horror.

“Iggy says you need to eat,” Prompto said. “I'll watch him.” 

Noctis was of a mind to refuse and very nearly _did_ , despite knowing that this would subsequently bring Ignis down upon him, when a stirring from Gladiolus caught his attention. It was little more than a twitch but Gladiolus' unnatural stillness had made it all the more noticeable.

“Gladio?” Prompto was already scrambling to the tent flap and calling for Ignis. A soft, pained whine issued from Gladiolus' throat. “Gladio, can you hear me?”

Gladiolus gave a very small, very terse nod. Ignis came in then and crouched on the opposite side of Gladiolus. Prompto remained near the tent flap, wringing his hands.

“Shh,” Ignis said, gently petting at Gladiolus' forehead. “Don't try to move.” 

Gladiolus drew in a deep breath and instantly tensed, the whine this time was higher pitch and longer. 

“Don't breathe in too deeply, either,” Ignis sighed. “You were severely injured in the cave in and it is Noct's magic alone that is helping you.” 

Several moments of tense silence passed before Gladiolus gave one long, gentle exhale and slowly blinked his eyes half open. His gaze found Ignis and he tried to crack his lips into a smile. It was looked more like a grimace as he tried not to engage the heavily bruised muscles on the left side of his face.

“Hi,” Gladiolus croaked. 

“Hello yourself.” Ignis smiled back. Gladiolus' eyes shifted away then and found Noctis with Prompto just over his shoulder. His expression changed, eyes relaxing as they met Noctis'.

“Noct.” The hand of Gladiolus' uninjured arm twitched and lifted slightly as if to reach for him. Noctis took it, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently. 

“Hey, big guy,” he murmured. Prompto gave a smile and held up a peace sign with his fingers when Gladiolus' gaze landed on him briefly before it went back to Noctis and remained there. Gladiolus' eyes flickered and slid shut only for him to force them open again a brief moment later. His exhaustion and pain at war with his desire to keep Noctis in view.

“How do you feel?” Ignis asked. There was no answer and several seconds ticked by before Gladiolus finally made the effort to respond.

“Hurt.” His voice had dropped to a mere breath. 

“Let's see if this helps.” Ignis held out a hand to Noctis who, quickly realizing what he wanted, placed one of the newly crafted healing potions into his hand. “Drink this, love.” 

Ignis slipped his hand under Gladiolus' neck as gently as he could and lifted him. Gladiolus tensed, letting out a soft pained cry and Ignis froze for a moment, his face twisting. He breathed a soft apology as he placed the flask at Gladiolus' mouth.

It took some encouragement but Gladiolus eventually drank all of the potion and was nearly through a full bottle of water when he shied away abruptly. 

“No...no more.” Gladiolus' face took on a slightly green tinge and he retched, his body shaking with a spasm. 

Ignis' eyes widened.

“Shh, shh. Take slow breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth,” Ignis said. “Relax, relax. Let the potion do its work, don't fight it.” 

Ever so slowly, Gladiolus' body relaxed. Ignis lowered his head back to the pillows and set back, running the backs of his fingers across Gladiolus' forehead and down the side of his face. Gladiolus' fever was persisting.

Gladiolus looked up at him for a moment before he released a gentle breath and slipped back into unconsciousness.

Ignis' brow furrowed as he looked down at his slack features and the fever spots on his cheeks.

Prompto noticed.

“Iggy?” Ignis looked at him and then at Noctis before he sighed.

“I'm worried,” he admitted. “Gladio's body is trying to reject the potions. If he's unable to keep the potions and water down...” Ignis shook his head “At least the potions can be administered topically, though they work better when ingested, but getting water and broth into him will _not_ work that way.” 

“Anything we can do?” Prompto asked as the silence seemed to stretch. Noctis had gone pale, stroking Gladiolus' fingers with his own. Ignis looked so very tired.

“We are already doing everything we can.” Ignis seemed to be talking out loud to himself now. “The potions will have to be given topically. The less strain on his stomach the better but he must drink.” 

Ignis shook his head again and looked at the two of them suddenly. “Come. You two need to eat. Gladio will be safe if we leave long enough for the two of you to get something to eat.” He held up a hand to forestall the argument he could see on Noctis' face. “You will eat. You can come back and sit with him while you eat if you must but you _will_ eat. Taking care of yourself will go a long way in helping Gladio.” 

Reluctantly, Noctis nodded and gently returned Gladiolus' hand to the blankets before following Prompto out; Ignis behind him. He stayed out only long enough to grab one of the breakfast rolls that Ignis had made and a mug of coffee before returning to the tent and Gladiolus' side.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, the echo of an apology a few years back. Another time where Gladiolus had gotten hurt defending him and had nearly lost an eye. 

“You got hurt because of me. I know that...as Shield getting hurt is always a possibility and we've been hurt before on this journey but...I'm sorry. I wish I had the ability to heal you directly but we both know that my magic has never worked that way, that I've never been able to use it that way. I'm so sorry.”

There wasn't any response and Noctis sighed. Prompto slid into the tent then and settled beside him, leaning against his shoulder comfortingly. Noctis pressed back and closed his eyes.

0-o-0-o-0

Several hours passed before Gladiolus woke again. 

Noctis was dozing against Prompto's back as he sat hunched over his camera, scrolling through the pictures he had taken of their journey so far. Across from them, on Gladiolus' other side, Ignis was reading or pretending to at least. If pressed he wouldn't be able to tell anyone what had happened in the last twenty or so pages.

Gladiolus gave a pained moan, disturbing the relative silence of the tent and shifted slightly. The numbing effects of the potion had worn off and he was starting to feel the pain of his injuries again. His eyes opened suddenly and he seemed to be struggling, attempting to move his injured arm which caused the pain to increase. 

“Gladio?” Ignis asked, pressing his hand gently against Gladiolus' uninjured shoulder to keep him still. Gladiolus looked at him but without recognition; as if he was looking straight through him. 

“Daemon...” Gladiolus murmured, pushing weakly at Ignis with one hand and trying to grip something only he could see. “Cavern...” 

“Shh, Shh. We're out of the cavern, you're safe.” Ignis brushed Gladiolus' sweaty bangs back. He was so weak that it didn't take much to hold him down but Gladiolus still struggled.

“Collapse...Noct...have to...Noct...” The last of Gladiolus' strength dissipated and he collapsed back onto the pillows, fever bright eyes still seeing something that wasn't there. “Where is...Ig...Promp...where is...it's coming down!” Gladiolus was starting to sound just this side of panicked now.

“We're right here, Gladio. Everyone is safe.” Noctis said quickly, reaching over to take Gladiolus' hand in his again. Gladiolus' grip tightened with as much strength as he could manage and Noctis placed a kiss to his knuckles.

“Yeah, big guy, everyone's safe,” Prompto echoed, resting his hand gently on Noctis and Gladiolus' joined ones. Gladiolus relaxed just a little at feeling their touch and hearing their voices but he was still caught in his nightmare. Still struggling against a threat only he could see.

“Prompto, a potion please,” Ignis said. Prompto grabbed up one of the potions in a box nearby – Noctis had separated all the ones for Gladiolus' treatment from any others – and handed it to him. 

Ignis cracked it over Gladiolus' chest. He glowed with the pale green light for several seconds before Gladiolus' whole body went lax and he breathed a soft sigh, eyes closing. A moment later, he reopened his eyes and followed the grip on his hand to focus on Noctis.

“Noct,” he murmured and caught sight of Prompto. “Prompto.”

“Hey, how you feeling?” Prompto smiled. 

“I hurt but it's not as bad as before,” Gladiolus shifted his gaze to Ignis. “Iggy.” 

“Gladio.” Ignis smiled and held up a bottle of water. “Can you manage?” 

“Yeah.” Galdiolus closed his eyes. When Ignis lifted his head this time the only indication of the pain it caused was an abrupt exhale and a sudden tightening of the grip on Noctis' hand. He drank the entire bottle of water and a few mouthfuls of a thin, lukewarm broth from a Thermos before his exhaustion got the better of him and he fell asleep, still holding tightly to Noctis' hand.

Ignis felt his forehead and heaved a sigh, shoulders dropping. Noctis and Prompto exchanged an alarmed look.

“Ignis?” Noctis asked cautiously. Ignis looked up at him and smiled.

“His fever's broke. He's still very weak and he still needs to drink but the potions seem to be working. He may still relapse and I'm not sure how his injuries will completely fare but I am...hopeful.” Ignis didn't try to curb the looks of hopeful joy on the younger two's faces. “I think I'll wait until the morning to check his injuries over. Sleep is what's best for him for right now.” 

“Good, good,” Noctis whispered, blinking the sudden watery quality of his vision away. Beside him, Prompto gave several tiny claps of his hands, pressing the sides of his fingers against his lips and smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so terribly sorry that this is so very late. Ennui, depression, the pandemic, and home-life issues is totally to blame. But reading your comments over again and replaying XV helped immensely. I will try very hard not to let it happen again. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.


End file.
